On a recent edition of his “Grilling JR” podcast, AEW broadcaster Jim Ross discussed what’s next for Darby Allin following Sting’s retirement match at AEW Revolution 2024.
You can check out some highlights from the podcast below:
On Darby Allin’s ladder bump through glass: “I was scared for this kid. I’m that way a lot with Darby. You knew that he was going to try to do something special and something extraordinary. And he did, and he succeeded. But he was just on his game. Darby Allen was one of the stars of the entire night. And going through that glass and the glass cutting his back and all that stuff was very drastic, very compelling. But that’s Darby. There’s nothing too dangerous or too compelling for Darby Allin, it didn’t seem like. He just — he never ceases to amaze me. That’s why he’s one of the top pro wrestlers in the entire world. And I’m glad that we got him. AEW, right here. We got him, we got that kid. And what a great kid he is. And I know that that match meant a lot to him, because he felt like there was a lot that depended upon his performance and the things he was going to do.
“And again, I had no idea about the glass. Of course, it’s great for me because I can react naturally and normally for a wrestling announcer. But it was horrible — in a good way, I guess. Because I don’t know of any other talent that would even attempt or even consider something this drastic. Without question, Darby Allin was one of the stars of the entire show. And he deserves all the accolades and the hugs that we could pile on him. I’m anxious to see where it goes from here and how the follow-up is. And I just — I love that kid. I just hope that he can continue to dodge the bullets that he loads in his own gun and starts shooting. He’s just an extraordinary, extraordinary talent. And nothing is too big, no assignment is too big. And let’s all remember — he created this stuff. This is what he wanted to do. Somebody didn’t come to him with a piece of paper saying hey, ‘Here, we want you to do these three things.’ It’s all Darby. And so for a guy to actually think about all afternoon what he’s going to be doing with that glass is, I find to be extremely extraordinary, extremely. And brave, and it’s just unbelievable. Just unbelievable. I’m proud I’m working with Darby. I’m proud that he’s my friend. And I’m proud that he shows law more than anything else. He’s a star, a massive star.”
On what’s next for Allin without Sting: “I don’t know what’s next either. But as far as Darby is concerned, once he gets healed up he’ll be right back in the fray. We’ll be right back after it. And if you’re a talent, especially a rugged heel-type talent, who else would you rather work with than Darby Allin? Because he’s gonna give you everything he’s got. He’s gonna sell all the things that the great babyfaces are able to do. And so, I don’t know what’s next for Darby. But I’m not concerned about it. I’m not concerned that they can’t, ‘We have to find something for Darby to do.’ That’s never an issue. That’s never an issue.
“So what Darby is going to do next may not be as sensational as his body being racked with glass. I hope it isn’t, he doesn’t need to be that extreme. But there will always be something for Darby Allin to do in a spectacular way. And he’ll come through as always, he’ll come through and he’ll be sensational. I just couldn’t believe that the night he had, it was just unbelievable. And it’s so easy not to talk about it too much Connie, because it was Sting’s night. But Darby did everything he could have to fit into Sting’s night, and it worked out extremely well. That match delivered, and it had tremendous hype and tremendous expectation, and everybody fulfilled their role. Everybody ran the plays they were supposed to run and made it very, very, very spectacular.”
On Allin transitioning into a singles star again: “Yeah. I was thinking that, Conrad, as you were talking. You know, Darby is going to be successful in anything he does. But I think it might be time for that singles run for Darby. And if that’s the case, there’s a litany of talents that Darby would match up well with, and can perform with in a big way. So I would be — my vote, if I had one. I don’t, thank God. It would be a singles run for Darby at this point in time. Let him distance himself a little bit from his amazing experience with Sting, and be Darby Allin on his own. That’s how I would look at it. Because there seems to be a lot more — you’ve got to find another partner that’s going to replace Sting. That’s going to be challenging, at least right now timing-wise. Not that it can’t be done. But I think my preference would be Darby on a singles run of some sort, including championships. You know, Darby Allin and Samoa Joe doesn’t hurt my feelings, quite frankly. So a lot of ways to skin that cat.”
